Leads to Another
by McB
Summary: Leaving is hard enough, but leaving with no destination in mind or a reason is just crazy, or is it?
1. Early Sunday Morning

Well, I thought things have been going pretty well with my stories and I feel like I can handle another one. Actually the real story is, I was just really bored and I've been playing with this idea in my head for a few days now and I thought I'd get it going before I went insane, or just forgot it all together. Anyway..  
  
Info you need to know: This takes place in season 8. Monica and Chandler never married or were never going out. Joey is single as well as Chandler, Monica and Phoebe. Ross and Rachel are going out, they never had the whole 'on a break' thing. Chandler and Joey live together. Monica and Rachel live together but Rachel spends most of her nights over at Ross's. Phoebe lives alone, as does Ross. Joey and Chandler still have the chick and the duck. I think that's it...on with it....  
  
Leads to Another: Chapter 1: Early Sunday Morning  
  
-Monica's Apartment (Ross, Monica, and Phoebe are present)-  
  
"So, how was work?" Phoebe asked as Ross took a seat on the couch next to Monica.  
  
"Eh, same as usual. I had to show a new group of tour guides around and tell them about everything, but I know they are just going to forget it and I'll have to do it all over again. Did you know that humans only remember about 2% of the things you tell them, like if you were teaching them something?" He asked, sitting forward, intent on starting a conversation that would only be fascinating to him.  
  
"Ross please, I've had a long enough day as it is. I don't want to sit here and listen to you talk about something that I'm not going to pay attention to anyway." Phoebe said, annoyed with Ross's boring interests.  
  
"Fine, be that way." Ross pouted.  
  
"Oh, we will." Monica said slowly.  
  
"Hey guys." Rachel said, walking into the apartment. "I got the mail."  
  
"Oh, I was just going to go get that, but now I don't have to." Monica smiled.  
  
"Bill, bill, bill, new issue of People magazine.." Rachel beamed, seting the magazine in a different pile than the bills as she threw everything on the table. "Bill, bill...hey, what's this?"   
  
She held up a small white envelope with nothing written on it, no stamp, no address, no name.  
  
"Let me see." Monica said, walking over to her and taking the envelope. "Hmm, I don't know." She flipped it over, looking for any writting.  
  
"Well, open it." Ross said, turning to face them.  
  
Monica walked over to a drawer and pulled out a letter opener.  
  
Slicing through the thin paper easily, she set it back in the drawer and pulled a folded piece of paper from the envelope.  
  
She threw the envelope in the garbage and opened the letter.  
  
"What the hell?" Monica said, confused.  
  
"What does it say?" Phoebe asked.  
  
Dear guys,  
  
Sorry we didn't stop by to say good-bye, we just needed to get moving.   
  
We're fine, don't worry about us. Really we have no idea where we are going, but we'll   
  
be ok. I don't know why we left, just couldn't stay there anymore. Sorry to leave you   
  
behind but, we'll come back some day, don't worry about that. We wouldn't leave and   
  
never come back. I don't know how long we'll be gone for. You can expect another   
  
letter or a call sometime soon. And again, don't worry, we'll be back! Take care of the   
  
birds for us. Oh, and don't sell our apartment, we'll send the rent every month, don't worry!  
  
Your friends,  
  
Joey and Chandler  
  
"Again, what the hell?" Monica yelled.  
  
Ross got up from the couch and walked across the hall, the three girls following him.  
  
He called out their names, searching every room.  
  
He went into their bedrooms and looked in their closets, and surely enough, all of their clothes were gone, the medicine cabinet was empty, nothing was left.  
  
"They're gone..." Rachel whispered, standing in the middle of the apartment, the duck and chicken waddling around, having no idea that their owners were no longer there.  
  
T B C  
  
Ok, I know it's not much of an idea yet, but it will get better, trust me. Please review! I really need to know what you guys think of it! 


	2. Long time later

AN: So sorry for the delay, I've been out of town. Life has been non-stop around here so, I'll do what I can in getting my fics updated.  
  
Leads to Another: Chapter 2: Long time later  
  
(((((())))))  
  
-7 years later-  
  
It had been seven long years since they had moved away. As soon as they stepped foot on the street, they had no idea where they were going to go. They hailed a cab to the airport and caught the soonest flight out, which happened to be going to Los Angeles (why do I always have them go there?). Two years after they arrived, Joey had gotten a part in a movie, which gave him his big break. Since then he had had no problem finding work. Joey has a daughter, Kaley, I'll explain about him later.  
  
Chandler on the other hand, did nothing special. He had asked his boss if he could be transfered to California, and sure enough, he said he could. And Chandler continued to do the same thing monday-thursday.  
  
They had lost contact with Ross, Rachel, Phoebe and Monica over the years. They all knew where Joey and Chandler lived and what they did for a living. The year that they left, they had called almost every week for updates of the two seperate worlds they lived in. Once things had gotten busy in Los Angeles, the calls had become less frequent, and now were non-excistent. Over the years it had become every other month, then every few months, then once a year, and then they just seased to be.  
  
They had left in June and the eight year anniversary was fast approaching as it was already Friday, May 18th. Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, and Monica all decided that it had been long enough and were planning a surprise trip out to see them.  
  
(((((())))))  
  
"Chandler!" Joey yelled, ratling the windows of the large house that sat in Santa Monica.  
  
"Chandler where are you?!" He yelled louder, continuing his rampage throughout the home in search of him.  
  
He came to a stop in the middle of the hallway, looking back at the double doors next to the kitchen. 'Of course' he thought, 'where else would he be?'  
  
He rushed over to the doors, swinging them open.  
  
There sat Chandler, sound alseep, clad in sweatpants, a tight, black, longsleeve shirt, and a bathrobe...his usual now.  
  
"Chandler?" Joey said softly, walking over to him and nudging his shoulder.  
  
"Chandler wake up." He said a little louder.  
  
"Sh^t! What!" Chandler shot up in his swivel chair, accidentally hitting Joey in the face with his elbow.  
  
"Ow! You seriously have to stop working out. That's the fourth time you've done that to me this week and it hurts more every time!" Joey yelled, clutching his now red jaw. "Or you could stop staying up so late and go to sleep in a bed, you know, you do have one, in your room."  
  
"Yea, yea, I know Joe. What do you want?" Chandler asked, leaning back in the chair.  
  
Joey smiled the smile. The smile that let you knew he wanted something. "Can you watch Kaley for me?" He clasped his hands in front of him and got down on his knees, begging Chandler to say yes.  
  
"Joey-"   
  
"Yes I know you don't like being left alone with her. But please! It's only for a couple of hours. You know I would do this for you."  
  
"Well, that would be kind of hard to do because I don't have any kids. Why can't the baby sitter, what's her name, Michelle, watch her?"   
  
"She's sick. Come on, she's seven years old, it's not like I'm asking you to raise her for the rest of her life or anything."   
  
"Well, that's pretty much what I'm doing anyway."  
  
"PLEASE CHANDLER!" Joey jumped to his feet and grabbed Chandler by the shoulders. "Only for three hours!"   
  
"Ok, ok, just get off me." Chandler laughed.  
  
"Oh my god, thank you so much." He quickly hugged him and ran out the door. "She already ate lunch, she's watching T.V. right now. I'll be back later." He yelled before slaming the door behind him.  
  
'Already ate lunch?' Chandler thought. 'What time is it?'  
  
He looked up at the clock that was on the wall above the door and saw that it was already 12:30.  
  
"Wow, time really goes fast when you're....sleeping."   
  
He got up out of his chair and proceded to the kitchen, looking over at Kaley, her eyes glued to the T.V.  
  
He had to laugh, she spent more time watching movies and T.V. than Joey and him combined.  
  
Figuring she would be there for quite some time, he walked over to the fridge and yanked the door open.  
  
After digging around for several short minutes and finding nothing to satisfy him, he headed for the stairs, intent on going upstairs to take a nap.  
  
"Kaley?" He called out, stopping just short of the large stair case that spiraled up to the second floor, which consisted of a balcony that wrapped around the upper area of the first floor living room.  
  
"Yea?" She asked, not bothering to turn her head away from the rerun of the Drew Carey Show she was watching.  
  
"I'm just going to go upstairs for a while, you gonna be ok?" He asked, one foot already on the first step.  
  
"Yea, it's not like you're moving out. And besides, your room is just, right up there." She replied, noting the clear view of his room from where she sat.  
  
"Wow, only seven years old and she already has the attitude of a teenager. I have a feeling that life is going to get interesting around here." He said to himself before bounding up the stairs and walking along the balcony to his room.  
  
(((((())))))  
  
He was lying face up, eyes open, staring at the ceiling above him. Honestly, he had nothing to complain about. He was living in a very nice, modern house that he didn't even have to pay for. He had a steady job. Great friends. A beautiful niece, who had the best father in the world.  
  
Sure he was happy, but it didn't mean he was complete. He thought that this was what he wanted, all the high-tech stuff, loads of money, lots of people around so he would never be lonely. 'Well, dreams can be decieving too' he thought.  
  
Figuring he wasn't going to be falling asleep anytime soon, he reached over to his nightstand. Pressing a small black button, a T.V. rose from the foot of his bed. Already seemingly interested in the channel that was on, he became hipnotized by it, not noticing the door bell ring downstairs.  
  
(((((())))))  
  
Kaley looked up towards the shut door of Chandler's room. It hadn't opened and it didn't seem that it was going to anytime soon, so she jumped up from her spot on the floor, flicking the T.V. off and throwing the remote on the couch.  
  
She reached the door and peaked through the window beside it to see who was outside. Four fidgeting people stood, waiting for the door to be answered. There were three women and one man, none of who she'd met before, but she had seen pictures. She thought back to nights of when Chandler would stay up with her, waiting for Joey to come home. He would show her pictures of the past life that he once held, telling her stories of the funny things that these people would do.  
  
She looked back up to Chandler's room, the door had yet to be opened. Guessing that he wasn't going to come down, she unlocked the door and used all of her strength to pull the massive door open.  
  
The four heads turned in her direction, surprised to see a little girl rather than an adult. "Um, I'm sorry, we must have the wrong house." The man said, turning to walk back to the car.   
  
"Who are you looking for?" Kaley asked, somewhat hiding behind the door.  
  
"Oh, we were looking for Chandler Bing or Joey Tribbiani. Do you know where they live by chance?" The dark haired woman asked.  
  
"Yea, the live here. Joey's my dad, Chandler's my uncle."  
  
(((((())))))  
  
He could hear voices downstairs, wondering who they were coming from he flicked off the T.V. so he could hear better. His mind immediately jumped to Kaley, she was down there, alone.  
  
He sprang out of bed, throwing the door open and looking towards the front door. There she was, standing there, talking to some people. He couldn't see exactly who from the angle he was at so he ran to the stairs, his robe flying behind him like a cape. He got to the bottom of the stairs faster than he had ever done before.  
  
"Kaley, what are you doing answering the door?" He asked calmly, not noticing the four other people yet.  
  
"Who are yo-" He stopped mid sentence, looking at the people before him. "Oh my god." He said slowly, not actually believing it was them.  
  
"Chandler!" Monica screamed, running into the house and into his arms, gripping to him for dear life.  
  
"Hey." He said softly. Rachel and Phoebe were quick to follow behind Monica, running over and joining the hug. Ross, feeling left out, ran over to join in.  
  
Once they broke apart, Chandler stared at all of them, not really believing it. "What are you guys doing here?" He didn't really care why, he was just glad that they were.  
  
"Well, it's been almost 8 years since we've last seen you guys, we just thought that we'd drop by." Phoebe said as if it were obvious.  
  
"So, who's the little girl?" 


End file.
